ACE Mowing

At the beginning everything was greatThe owner and I developed what I would call a good business/client relationshipAt the end of what I considered lawn mowing season I paid my two separate invoices for service with two separate checks in two separate envelopesI was a bit confused as to why I was paying an extra payment for SeptemberThe owners wife became very defensive over the phoneI told I just needed to understand but that I was going to pay the billAnger still came from this womanThe next day I did what I had promised to do and sent the two paymentsA month goes by and my checks didn't enter the bank for paymentI didn't think much of it since the owner seemed to run late with the deposits in the pastThe following month I get served with a small claim suit in the amount of $(give or take $20)The claim was that I owed for one months mowing, $80, and one late payment of $The added amount was for court costs, his time in gathering phone records, bank and invoice statements...plus the cost of getting said records and statements
We went to court and he was awarded him $plus court costs of $which I don't mind since the $was owed and I paid the penalty for not following up on my checks
This company doesn't use contracts and are not straight with their clientsThey use manipulation, verbal tirades to intimidate the client